The cheapest time to find a problem offshore is before the project goes offshore.
A vessel strategy or installation sequence can look perfectly workable on paper. Add weather, seabed conditions, vessel availability, environmental requirements and the practicalities of marine operations, and the picture can change quickly. TGS looks at why independent marine planning early in a project can help identify those problems while there is still time to do something about them.
Testing plans before mobilisation
A vessel strategy or installation sequence may appear workable during development but become difficult when weather, seabed conditions, vessel availability and marine logistics are considered in detail.
Planning therefore needs to look beyond technical compliance and consider:
On one offshore cable project, an independent review identified a sequencing issue before mobilisation. Adjusting the programme during the planning stage helped avoid potential vessel standby and kept the campaign on schedule.
Managing risk before going offshore
Marine assurance and vessel suitability reviews can provide an opportunity to challenge assumptions before contracts, vessels and crews are committed.
In another example, a vessel suitability review identified operational limitations that could have affected performance under expected weather conditions. Addressing these before contract award reduced the risk of changes being required during offshore execution.
According to TGS, reviewing the proposed vessel spread and mobilisation strategy identified opportunities to remove unnecessary vessel interfaces and simplify logistics on one project.
Changes made during planning are generally easier and less disruptive than changes made once an offshore campaign is under way.
Connecting environmental requirements with delivery
Environmental assessment, permitting and stakeholder engagement are also increasingly connected to practical project delivery.
Early engagement can clarify what information regulators and stakeholders require, reducing the likelihood of additional requests later in the consenting process.
For marine infrastructure projects, technical feasibility therefore needs to be considered alongside environmental and regulatory expectations rather than as a separate workstream.
Experience remains essential
Planning tools and operational data are becoming more sophisticated, but the article argues that they cannot replace practical offshore judgement.
Larger projects require people who understand engineering, marine operations, environmental constraints, vessel capabilities and the realities of offshore execution.
Effective advice must also be independent enough to challenge assumptions. Under pressure to reduce costs or accelerate delivery, the most useful recommendation may not always be the easiest one for a project team to accept.
For TGS, the strongest approach combines reliable data, technical expertise and practical experience early enough to influence important decisions.
Good marine planning does not remove offshore risk. It gives project teams a better chance of dealing with it before the vessels leave port.
Read more in the complete PES Wind feature: https://pes.eu.com/exclusive-articles/why-early-marine-planning-matters-more-than-ever